Do accessibility widgets make a website ADA compliant?

What an overlay does

An overlay is a script that adds a widget to your pages: buttons to enlarge text, change contrast or turn on a reading mode, and sometimes automated "repairs" applied in the visitor's browser. The page underneath, with its missing labels, unreadable buttons and keyboard traps, stays the same.

Why it doesn't make a site compliant

• The problems are in the code. A checkout button with no accessible name, a form field with no label or a menu that can't be reached by keyboard has to be fixed in the site itself.
• Regulators have acted on the claims. The FTC's 2025 order against accessiBe required it to pay USD 1 million over claims that its AI tool made websites WCAG-compliant.
• No one can certify ADA compliance. The US Department of Justice does not certify any product or website as ADA compliant, so a "compliant" badge from any vendor is a marketing claim.
• Sites with widgets are still sued. Published filing data shows websites using widgets among those sued.

What works instead

1. Test the site against WCAG 2.2 A and AA, automatically and by hand.
2. Fix the problems in your theme, templates and content.
3. Re-test after every release, because new code brings new problems.
4. Keep a dated record of what you checked and fixed.

Jralo does the testing and the record, and its Website Mechanic can fix problems in your code as a pull request you review. It never adds an overlay.